Court hears how Pretorius took his own life after DNA report placed him in Mbense murder scene
Shortened intro An IPID investigator told the Brakpan Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday police informant Wiandre Pretorius took his own life after learning that DNA evidence placed him in the bedroom where Emmanuel Mbense was killed.
A police informant, Wiandre Pretorius, took his own life after learning that DNA evidence linked him to the location where Emmanuel Mbense was murdered, according to testimony at the Brakpan Magistrates’ Court. The case, which dates back to April 2022, involves the alleged torture and killing of Mbense at his Brakpan home, followed by his body being dumped in a dam.
Pretorius, who was 41, provided information to a co-accused that Mbense owned one of two trucks involved in a warehouse robbery, which eventually led to Mbense's death. He was questioned by South African Police Service (SAPS) after the murder of another individual, Juan-Maree Eksteen, whom Pretorius is now accused of killing. Masuku, an IPID investigator, revealed that Pretorius had seen the DNA report before his death, which may have been a contributing factor to his suicide.
The six accused individuals, including former EMPD deputy chief Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi and Cobus Janse van Rensburg, are currently being held without bail due to the severity of the charges.
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